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Newhouse School to name new studio after America's DJ, Dick Clark

Syracuse Walk of Stars No. 5: Dick Clark

Syracuse University alumnus Dick Clark got his start in television and radio at stations in Utica and Syracuse, eventually going on to iconic shows like "American Bandstand" and "Rockin' New Year's Eve."
(The Associated Press; The Post-Standard)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The name of Dick Clark, the late host of "America's Bandstand" and Dick Clark's "New Year's Rockin' Eve" is becoming part of the Newhouse School complex.

The school announced today that it will name its renovated studio facilities Dick Clark Studios in honor of legendary entertainer and alumnus who graduated in 1951. The Kari and Dick Clark Foundation donated $5 million to the school, a gift announced by Clark's widow, Kari Clark, at the school's annual Mirror Awards ceremony in New York City, which honors excellence in media industry reporting.

The $18 million state-of-the-art studio is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2014.

Clark began his broadcasting career with radio station gigs in Central New York, working at WAER-FM as an SU student and at Utica's WRUN radio, where his father, SU alumnus Richard A. Clark, '18, was the station manager. During Clark's senior year at SU, he joined WOLF-AM in Syracuse.

After returning to WRUN and then moving to a Utica television station, Clark's star took off when he headed to Philadelphia to join WFIL-AM. The young DJ soon became host of "American Bandstand," a WFIL-TV program that was eventually broadcast nationwide on ABC. Through the show, Clark helped introduce rock 'n' roll to mainstream America.

A wreath lays at the star honoring television host Dick Clark on the Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 18, 2012. He was 82. Associated Press

"Syracuse was always important to Dick and very close to his heart throughout his life," said his widow, Kari Clark. "It will mean so much to see his name attached to a school and a studio facility that will literally launch a thousand careers in this business. This is just a continuation of what he did with 'Bandstand' -- gave youth a stage, then got out of the way."

Eighteen members of the Clark family, including his daughter, Cindy Clark, a 1986 alumnus, have attended SU.

Beginning in the late 1980s, Clark hosted Newhouse students on the school's annual trip to Los Angeles, helping many of them secure their first jobs in the entertainment industry.

"His door was always open to us," Larry Martin, SU's vice president of program development. "He was very enthusiastic about meeting the students."

Clark also made a $1 million gift to his fraternity at Syracuse University, Delta Kappa Epsilon, to provide need-based academic scholarships to leaders within the organization.

Dick Clark Studios

The Newhouse School is currently engaged in an $18 million renovation of Newhouse 2, one of the school's three buildings. The renovation will update the school's studio facilities and provide students with cutting-edge equipment and work spaces that more accurately reflect professional settings in broadcast, television and film production.

In addition to the lead gift from the Kari and Dick Clark Foundation, additional funding will come from media entrepreneur Alan Gerry for the Center for Media Innovation; the S.I. Newhouse Foundation; Syracuse University; and other alumni and friends of the Newhouse School.